~ Life is a Journey. A Journey shaped by our Dreams. Our Dreams are inspired by our Imagination.

Life is Messy, That is how We are Made

“At some point, you have to make a decision. Boundaries don’t keep other people out, they fence you in. Life is messy, that’s how we’re made. So you can waste your life drawing lines, or you can make your life crossing them. But there are some lines, that are way too dangerous to cross. If you are willing to take the change, the view from the other side is spectacular!” -Grey’s Anatomy

Something all student struggle with, career choices. When we are young, we can dream about who we want to become and what we will accomplish. But as we grow older, we learn that some paths are not meant to be walked… well, not meant to be walked by you.

Many students out there follow the traditional paths such as engineering, law, and medical careers. But there are even more students that stray away from those paths, trying to find their own careers.

Having a career does not have to mean you are making the Big Money

Having a career means you are doing something you want to do. And you are willing to take this practice to the next level, forever trying to modify and improve what you are doing for the better.

Having a career does not mean doing what your parents planned for you to follow

Having a career means you are discovering and exploring what is unknown to you, yet. There is something captivating you, creating a passion.

Having a career means you are working hard towards something, even though sometimes you will fail miserably. But that is how you will learn.

Having a career does not mean it will be a smooth trail with no obstacles.

Recently, I came across a status post on Facebook from an old classmate. Let us refer to her as Karen. This classmate of mine, she is not my friend. In this lifetime, we cannot be friends. Our gap on where we stand in society is too great.

Karen was always the star of the show. Teachers loved her. The girls in class envied her. And the boys in class had crushes on her.

“I am not going to lie, I wanted to be her. But deep down, I just wanted people to accept me the way people accepted her.”

She was smart, popular, and pretty. Every girl wanted to be like her, and every guy wanted to date her.

“Deep down, I knew we were part of a different class of people in this society. She was someone who was going places, and I was someone who was still finding my place.”

As we got older, we went to different schools. I am glad that I never had to go to school with Karen, ever again. She had helped me out on certain occasions back in grade school, but only the negative memories revive. “I can forgive her, but I cannot forget her.” Her impact on my life was too great. It goes on to shaping me into who I am. Who am I?

I always fear that every new person I will meet will be like Karen. Someone who judges me for how I look, rather than who I am on the inside.

Karen never took the time to get to know me. But we can also say, I never took the time to get to know her.

How was I able to get to know someone who I was not allowed to associate with?

We cannot always speak our minds. But Karen conditioned me to not speak up at all. I learned to endure the pains, because crying does not get you far. Especially when you are crying against someone who owns the attention.

“We must learn to love ourselves. Sometimes you will get hurt, and you can’t tell your parents. Because some battles need to be fought ourselves.”

Since young, everyone has saw Karen as the perfect child. But as she grew older, I felt she became different. She grew up away from the image of the Ideal Child that many of our parents would refer to.

Her recent post of Facebook caught my attention. She brought up the topic about how she strayed away from the traditional career path for a major that is disapproved by her parents. I would not expect something like this from the Perfect Karen back in grade school. I always expected her to be the Perfect Child.

Karen was someone who I thought would take the traditional path in life. She would become a doctor and make the big money.

“But she didn’t.”

For the first time in my life, I felt closer to her. I felt that I was finally able to stand next to her, and not forever behind her.

When she was a child, society raised her up into the sky. But as she grew older, the people of the society around her let her fall to the ground.

“Today, she is not where we expect her to be. But today is where she wants herself to be.”

(To be honest, I wonder how she is doing. “[Karen], how are you doing? Are you well?” I wonder if she is doing well. I heard that she moved away. She is no longer in the neighborhood. I was also told her mother passed away. I would never expect such unfortunate things happen to someone who I always thought had the perfect life.)

“Life is messy, and that is how we are made.” Without the obstacles and challenges in our paths, we would never grow and become a better ourselves. “Only by falling will we learn to get back up.”

Karen can choose how she wants to live her life. She can choose the career path she wants to walk down. And so can you! Don’t be stopped by the little challenges in life. We all are only human. We all have problems waiting for us to solve.

Today, I finally crossed the line to the other side. I no longer view what happened in the past as big as I use to. Today, it does not matter anymore if I am standing behind Karen or next to her. Today, I learned that Karen and I are both living our lives, as messy as it may be, in this endlessly challenging world.

Thank you for reading 🙂

Sometimes we can associate a persistent thought as a daydream because it is something that lingers in our mind until we free it, freeing ourselves. ❤